Reaction
by pretty in orange
Summary: Shunnao. Nanao and Shunsui have known each other for many years, but now things are beginning to change, and Nanao isn't exactly sure how to react. T for some minor swearing.
1. Feelings

A/N: So here's the story that I put Ring True on hiatus for. I hope you like this first chapter, but I do appreciate reviews greatly. If you can tell me nicely how to improve, you'll definitely get a thank you. I can guarantee that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I make no profit off of this.

* * *

Shunsui was always there.

So maybe he wasn't as present when she was a kid. Nanao was cool with that. It just made this – this relationship she had with him now all that much more special. Relationship? Could she call it that? They weren't romantic at all, though some days her mind wandered into that dangerous territory. Some days she wanted nothing more than a big hug from him, sometimes even a kiss. But she had work to do, after all, so romance – with anyone, just to clarify – came in second place in her life.

"Lil' Nanao's daydreaming. How adorable!" Shunsui teased, receiving an immediate fan to the face despite Nanao's space cadet attitude.

"Do some paperwork." Nanao stood. "I have to go out for a bit." She couldn't let him see her like this, not now, not ever.

"Aww why are you leaving?" Shunsui's tone hadn't changed, despite that he was now pouting. Nanao refused to look at him.

"If that paperwork's done when I get back, I'll take you out for a drink." Damn. She regretted it the second it left her mouth, since it sounded like she was offering to date him. But she knew Shunsui and there was no taking it back. Not now, not ever. On the upside, he sat down at his desk and picked up a pen obediently. "Good. Now work. I'll be back shortly, Captain Kyoraku." Nanao slipped out the door. The sun was already starting to set, and Nanao couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Shunsui loved sunsets, and here she was, keeping him inside. _Maybe if he's really good and does all of his paperwork I'll watch the sunrise with him. _Nanao bit her lip at that thought. She really needed to get some help for these feelings she was having, but that would mean ratting herself out to Captain Unohana. And she just couldn't admit what was going on out loud. Not yet, after all, she wasn't quite sure it was even real anyway. It could just be a product of an overworked mind. Rangiku liked to call those kinds of things "work fantasies" and Nanao kind of hoped that was all it was. Not that her Captain wasn't a wonderful man, but she didn't think she was ready to be in love. Truth was, she'd never even had a boyfriend. A few crushes, yes, but actually been in love? Not yet. She'd read a few romance novels, which just made her want to gag, but she still wasn't sure what being in love constituted. Her work still needed to come first, anyway.

She wandered aimlessly around Sereitei for a bit, trying to gather her bearings. The sun had officially set, and it was a little cold, but Nanao knew from experience that she'd be fine.

Finally, sometime around 11 PM, she returned to her division to find Captain Kyoraku asleep on the floor, apparently having fallen out of his chair. A quick inspection proved that yes, he had done every single piece of paperwork. An inspection of the floor provided what had happened afterwards; an empty bottle of sake wasn't far from Captain Kyoraku.

Feeling a little relieved that she didn't have to take him out for a drink; Nanao retrieved a pillow and a blanket and tucked him in on the floor. Sure, it wasn't proper, and if anyone other than Captain Ukitake and her saw it, he'd likely be reprimanded, but she knew from experience that passed-out-drunk he was nearly impossible to wake. The one time she'd managed to wake him up out of a drunken sleep had involved blowing a whistle directly in his ear so he wouldn't miss a captain's meeting, and he had never let her forget that. Sometimes he still teased: "What? Lil' Nanao, I can't hear you! There's this terrible ringing in my ear!" It, in short, was definitely not something she hoped to have to repeat.

Sighing at the memory, she walked over to the desk, being careful not to kick Shunsui. Sorting the paperwork was a task in and of itself, but she wanted to get it to its assigned divisions before she went to bed. It was usually at this point that Shunsui would pressure her into getting some sleep, but now that he was out cold, she could get everything done and maybe, just maybe, have a mostly free day tomorrow. She desperately wanted to get some reading done at the library, and if no excess paperwork turned up by tomorrow, she'd be free to go to the library, at least for a few hours.

"Mm. Nanao..." Shunsui muttered in his sleep, hugging the pillow. Nanao couldn't help but blush a little; what in the world could he be dreaming? On second thought, she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to know. It might be too much for her overworked mind to process and she might do something irrefutably stupid. Picking up the majority of paperwork, she headed out. Hopefully she'd be done by morning and get _some_ sleep. Then again, maybe not. She wasn't sure what would happen if she slept with Shunsui's dreaming words in her head.

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A/N: There's the first chapter. It is a little longer than usual, but I think I like it regardless. I don't know for sure when this will be updated, but probably more often than Ring True was, as this is lighter. What'd you think?


	2. Injury

A/N: I really thought I wasn't ready to write this chapter, but then it started playing out in my head. Thanks goes to LazyNezumi for helping me realize I needed some clarification!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I make no profit off this.

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Nanao had managed to get the day off, on the account that the paperwork was all finished from the night before. She had chosen to spend her day in the library, surrounded by lovely books. But even as she sat with a stack of them at a table, her mind wandered.

How long had it been that she'd had this... oh, how she hated the word crush, but that's what it was, on her Captain? She could still remember her 21st birthday, he'd wanted to take her out for a drink and she had walked away to hide her blush. Had it started then? A flash of memory hit her with wild intensity.

_She had been 19 years old. Oddly, she hadn't been able to completely shake that awkward phase yet, but she was on the verge of becoming a lieutenant. She'd just been suggested for the position, actually. Captain Kyoraku had come from the meeting, looking unsettled and slightly angry. What was wrong with him? He was rarely anything other than carefree and happy._

_"Captain Kyoraku?" Nanao asked. "Captain, what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing, Lil' Nanao." Shunsui ruffled her hair gently. She really should either cut it or tie it up so he couldn't muss it; she'd had that thought before. But in a way she enjoyed those simple touches. _

_Still, Nanao asked around. She found out from multiple sources that Captain Kurotsuchi had started an argument with Captain Kyoraku, stating that Nanao would be wonderful for his newest experiment. Shunsui hadn't been happy, and he seemed to have gotten incredibly defensive from what she had heard. He had stood up for her? What... what an odd feeling. No one had ever done that for her. _

_The next day, as she delivered his paperwork, she found herself blushing. What the hell was wrong with her? She'd never been one to fall so easily, what was wrong with her?_

_When Nanao was appointed as lieutenant of the eighth, she promised herself she would bury those feelings. _

And it had worked for years, but now things were surfacing that she didn't want to admit to. Staring down at the book on the table, she felt her stomach do a flip. _No._ She told herself. _He's your Captain. Don't._ Frowning, she buried her face in her hands, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. Pathetic. That's how she felt. The one guy she didn't have any sort of a shot with, even in a frozen hell world, and she had to fall for him.

Momo ran over to Nanao, grabbing her wrist. "I need your help, it's an emergency!" Nanao followed willingly, letting Momo guide her. They came to the edge of Sereitei and were met with a large number of hollows. Nanao, though distracted, focused on killing hollows as best as she could with Kido.

But when one of those hollows just refused to die, it jerked forward and clawed down her leg. Nanao could feel the burn of torn flesh, could feel hot blood running down her leg. She didn't want to look. With a few quick moves of kido, she assassinated the hollow, but even as she completed the kill, she was on the ground. The hollows appeared to have all been eradicated, as they weren't attacking her now, but she could tell that she was in serious trouble. She was losing feeling in her leg, except for a dull, deep ache, and the edges of her vision were going dark. Finally, it all went away.

* * *

Shunsui had just received word that Nanao had gone to the fourth after an emergency call. He picked up and left his office without any notice, something he'd likely be reprimanded for in the next few days.

Finding her was easy; after all, he knew her energy like he only knew one other person's – Juushiro's. As he stepped into the room, he was confronted with what he didn't want to see – Nanao in a hospital gown, being asked all sorts of questions by Unohana herself. Shunsui stepped up to the side of her bed as Retsu poked and prodded at Nanao's foot, asking if she could feel this and that, could she wiggle her toes, a whole slew of questions. Nanao's answers were all affirmative, yes, she could feel that, yes, she could wiggle her toes – though when she did, the action was weak. Retsu exited the room, seemingly satisfied for the moment.

"How's my darling Nanao?" Shunsui tried to tease, though he felt much too sobered to try.

"Don't call me that." Nanao looked away. She looked pale, which, from what he'd heard about how much blood she'd lost, was expected.

"Can I sit with my darling Nanao?" Shunsui hovered near her hip. When she didn't object, he sat beside her hip, studying her. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"My reaction time wasn't good enough." Nanao frowned, shaking her head. "I'll be fine, Captain." Was she blushing? Shunsui studied her a moment longer before looking out the window.

"You're going to rest for a week or two." Shunsui sighed. "Something is bothering you and you're hurt. So you're off duty for the next two weeks."

"Captain!" Nanao yelped. "The-"

"I will do the paperwork personally." Shunsui set his hand on hers, a lazy smile blooming across his face. "I know you didn't sleep last night, and I can't have my lieutenant getting sick or dying."

"Yes, sir." Nanao nodded briefly.

"In the meantime..." Shunsui leaned closer to her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm glad you're alright. I was worried when I heard that you had gone into the fourth for extreme blood loss."

Every nerve in Nanao's body seemed to be firing at once. She was tingly all over, and in addition to that, her brain seemed frozen. It wanted to scream _inappropriate, Captain! _Or maybe hit him with a fan, but her brain was locked up like a computer with a virus. And she knew what that virus was too.

"Captain, you shouldn't be doing this." Nanao took careful care not to stutter, and to form her words just so it sounded like she didn't care. As much as she wanted – even needed – this hug, she knew it shouldn't be.

"Let's not think about that right now." Shunsui's tone was light again.

Nanao hid her face in his kimono after a long moment's consideration. After all, what could a harmless hug do?

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A/N: I am so tired. If you see a typo, review me with it, will you? Thanks. What'd you think?


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